Canister launch or similar length-constrained missiles are often provided with a rigid blunt nose to achieve more efficient use of the launch-canister volume in order to meet greater range and payload requirements. A rigid blunt nose on a missile, however, increases aerodynamic drag, resulting in a range penalty.
Accordingly, it is known from the prior art how to provide a blunt nose canister launch missile with an inflatable aerodynamic nose fairing which is deployed upon broach of the launch canister. An improved filament reinforced inflatable aerodynamic nose fairing which is constructed to facilitate compact folding into a stowed position in order to achieve an increase in the overall payload volume of a length-constrained canister launch missile is disclosed in two co-pending patent application Ser. No. 08/249,847 and 08/250,042, both of which are commonly owned by the assignee of this application.
An important consideration in the design of a length-constrained missile system is the relative location of the missile's center of pressure with respect to the missile's center of gravity. In order to provide adequate missile control, the missile's center of pressure should be located near and preferably slightly aft of the missile's center of gravity.
In the usual case of a missile equipped with an inflatable nose fairing and, in particular, a smaller canister launched missile of the kind designed to be launched from mobile ground units or from the internal weapons bay of aircraft, the increase in length of the missile due to the deployment of the inflatable nose fairing creates an abrupt forward shift in the location of the missile's center of pressure.
One known technique for compensating for the change in the missiles's center of pressure is to enlarge the size of the missile's control actuators. However, larger control actuators require a smaller diameter missile body in order to fit within a launch canister of a predetermined fixed volume. This approach, however, negates the principle benefit of increased payload capacity provided by an inflatable nose fairing.
Another known technique for compensating for the change in the missile's center of pressure is to incorporate additional ballast at the forward most end of the missile's payload section and aft of the inflatable nose fairing. The additional ballast is rigidly mounted in place and therefore cannot be moved further forward into the nose fairing upon deployment for optimum distribution of mass. Thus, an undesirable amount of ballast is required to compensate for the forward change in the missile's center of pressure. Further, the additional ballast occupies precious payload volume, and therefore this approach also negates the principle benefit of increased payload capacity afforded by an inflatable nose fairing.
It would be desirable to tailor the distribution of just enough mass throughout the volume of the inflatable nose fairing upon deployment thereof in order to shift the missile's center of gravity forwardly to compensate for the forward shift in the missile's center of pressure. Further, it would be desirable to make such adjustments without modification to the missile's existing control actuators.
It is well known from the prior art to provide a missile with an optical sensor for target locating and missile guidance capabilities, For best results, the sensor should be positioned to provide a large field of view for optimum operability and should not be subjected to undesirable shock forces which could cause failure. It is known from the prior art to mount a sensor in the nose tip of a missile having a rigid nose fairing. It is also known to locate a sensor at the forward end of the missile's payload section just aft of the nose fairing. As noted above, a missile having a rigid nose fairing is undesirable for canister launch applications as it does not provide for maximum payload volume. In the case of a sensor mounted at the forward end of the missile's payload section just aft of the nose fairing, the nose fairing must be ejected during flight in order to provide a field of view to enable the sensor to function.
It would therefore be desirable to incorporate a sensor within a deployable inflatable nose fairing having increased payload capacity whereby the sensor can be deployed for positioning adjacent the nose tip portion of the inflatable nose fairing for optimum operability.